Every day, nonprofits across Santa Barbara County step in where they’re needed most, offering stability, care, and connection. Through our Good for Santa Barbara County Nonprofit Section, Noozhawk is proud to highlight these vital organizations and the people behind them.
Explore our Giving Guide and make a meaningful difference for those who need support this giving season.
In this feature, Noozhawk spoke with Roya Alt, Communications Director at Casa Pacifica Centers for Children and Families, to dive into the nonprofit’s commitment to helping at-risk children, their families and young adults thrive.
Casa Pacifica Centers for Children and Families
Question: What is the name of your nonprofit, and what is its mission?
Answer: Casa Pacifica Centers for Children and Families. Our mission is to inspire hope and nurture mental health and well-being of children, young adults and families to realize their full potential.
Q: How long has your organization been serving the community, and who founded it?
A: Casa Pacifica was born from the heart of our community. In the mid-1980s, local Ventura County residents recognized a critical gap: children removed from their homes by Child Protective Services had nowhere to go for comprehensive, compassionate care.
Rather than accept this, community members came together and imagined something better—a place where children in crisis could feel safe, supported, and surrounded by professionals who believed in their potential.
Through an innovative public-private partnership, our community raised $10 million to build Casa Pacifica’s 25-acre campus in Camarillo. It was, and remains, a community-built promise to its children.
Today, that spirit of shared responsibility continues to guide our work. Casa Pacifica is now the largest nonprofit provider of children’s and adolescent mental health services in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties.
Our residential treatment, wraparound services, and specialized educational support form a continuum of care that meets youth and families wherever they are on their journey. Each year, we walk alongside more than 2,000 children, young adults, and families—helping them navigate mental health challenges, find stability, and reclaim hope for their futures.
Casa Pacifica began with community compassion and it thrives because our community continues to believe in every young person’s right to heal, grow, and shine.
Q: How is your nonprofit primarily funded, and what are its biggest needs right now?
A: This year Casa Pacifica must raise approximately 16% of our budget in private funds to fill the gap between what the organization receives from government contracts and the actual costs of providing our programs and services, including several programs that receive little or no government funding.
Private support is vital to ensure we can respond swiftly to the youth mental health crisis and provide life-changing care to the most vulnerable children and young adults in Ventura and Santa Barbara counties—keeping them safe, connected, in school, and on a path toward stability and long-term well-being.
Q: What types of events or programs do you run to engage your community and raise funds?
A: Our community comes together through four signature fundraising events:
• 13th Annual Top Chef Yummie Dinner – May 1, 2026
• 33rd Annual Angels Wine, Food & Brew Festival – June 7, 2026
• Care for Kids Golf Classic – September 14, 2026
• Angels Spotlight on Style Fashion Show – November 2026
Supporters can also sustain our life-changing mission by becoming monthly donors, Corporate Leaders, joining our Angels auxiliary group or becoming a volunteer. Visit our website, casapacifica.org, to learn more!
Q: How can people get involved with your nonprofit or volunteer?
A: Casa Pacifica’s work is made possible by the strength and compassion of our community.
There are many ways to get involved; attend or sponsor one of our annual fundraising events, become a Corporate Leader, join our Angels auxiliary, or become a monthly donor to help ensure we can be there for every child who needs us.
However you choose to support, you become part of a community that believes in brighter futures for our youth. Learn more at casapacifica.org.
Q: Could you share a story or two about individuals whose lives have been positively impacted by your organization?
A: We impact the lives of so many youth and families in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties. Youth like Evan, 12, who struggled with severe ADHD and intense anger at home.
Through our Therapeutic Behavioral Services program, he learned effective coping strategies while his parents received guidance on how to improve communication to better support him.
Today, Evan channels his energy positively—at home and on the baseball field, where he’s a stellar pitcher for his youth baseball team.
Isabella, 14, faced profound loss and instability in foster care. Casa Pacifica provided therapy, family support, and advocacy to help her heal and thrive. With ongoing care and a safe, loving home with a maternal cousin, Isabella is working toward adoption and building a future filled with hope.
Q: How do you share your nonprofit’s impact and updates with the public?
A: We love sharing inspiring client stories, and our milestones and achievements, via social media—Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube—and through our monthly newsletter. Donor support makes every success story possible!
Q: What makes your organization trustworthy for donors, and are there other ways people can support your cause beyond donations?
A: Casa Pacifica is a trusted leader in youth mental health care, backed by national nonprofit accountability standards. We are proud to hold a Four-Star Rating from Charity Navigator, the highest level of recognition for financial health and responsible stewardship.
Casa Pacifica also maintains a Platinum Transparency seal from Candid and is consistently recognized as a Top-Rated Nonprofit by GreatNonprofits. These designations reflect our commitment to using donor support wisely and making a meaningful, measurable difference in the lives of the children, young adults, and families we serve.
There are many ways to get involved beyond making a monetary donation. Community members can volunteer, support our events or join Casa Pacifica’s Angels auxiliary—a dedicated group of volunteers who help raise critical funds and create joyful experiences for our kids.
You can also follow and share our work on social media to help raise awareness and amplify our mission. However you choose to engage, your involvement strengthens our community’s support for vulnerable children, youth and families.
Q: Can you highlight one immediate goal and one long-term vision your nonprofit aims to achieve in the next year?
A: Casa Pacifica will continue to meet the mental health, housing and educational needs of children, young adults and families throughout Ventura and Santa Barbara counties through a full continuum of services, grounded in compassion and clinical excellence.
Q: Is there anything important or unique about your nonprofit that we haven’t covered yet?
A: Casa Pacifica is committed to providing life-changing mental health support for at-risk children, young adults, and families.
Our Safe Alternatives for Treating Youth (SAFTY™) program offers mobile crisis response for students who live on or near the UCSB campus, providing rapid risk assessment, de-escalation, and linkage to ongoing care.
By intervening early, SAFTY™ helps students remain enrolled in school, avoid unnecessary psychiatric hospitalizations, and access the resources they need to feel safe and supported.
Our Outpatient Individual and Family Therapy program extends that same level of care to children, teens, and young adults throughout Santa Barbara County, offering individualized therapeutic support close to home. Contact us at 805-366-4148 to learn more!
Combined with Casa Pacifica’s residential treatment, wraparound services, and specialized educational programs, these services ensure we are there for youth and families at every stage of their journey—responding in crisis, walking alongside them in healing, and empowering them to build strong, healthy futures.
Click here to support Casa Pacifica’s mission to help at-risk children, their families and young adults thrive.
Check out Noozhawk’s Guide to Giving for a full list of nonprofits to donate to this giving season.
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